NHS hospitals in England and Wales are adopting a new, faster, and more accurate method for diagnosing bladder cancer, offering patients a convenient at-home urine test instead of an invasive hospital procedure.
Breakthrough in Bladder Cancer Diagnosis
Doctors have hailed the Galeas bladder test as a major breakthrough. Unlike the traditional cystoscopy, which involves inserting a tube and camera into the body through the penis or urethra, the new test is non-invasive and requires only a urine sample. This DNA-based test analyzes the 23 genes most commonly associated with bladder cancer.
The traditional method often caused discomfort, leading many patients to decline the procedure. The Galeas test, however, is painless and can be done at home, with patients mailing back their samples. This has resulted in more people undergoing testing for a cancer that kills nearly 6,000 people annually in the UK.
Accuracy and Adoption
An NHS trial involving 964 patients across seven hospitals in England and Scotland in 2024-25 found that the Galeas test correctly identified whether 92% of participants had bladder cancer or not. In contrast, cystoscopy had an accuracy rate of only 81%. Jeff Bousfield, chief executive of Nonacus, the biotech firm behind the test, noted that the lower accuracy of cystoscopy was due to the difficulty of identifying bladder cancers of varying shapes, shades, and sizes with a manually operated keyhole camera. He added that the company aims to improve the test's accuracy further as its rollout continues.
Five hospitals have already adopted the test, with University Hospitals of Leicester becoming the first NHS trust in England to do so. At least 16 more trusts are expected to follow by the end of the year.
Patient and Hospital Benefits
Jayne Douglas-Moore, a consultant urological surgeon at the Leicester NHS trust, explained that cystoscopy is an invasive investigation where patients remain awake with an anaesthetic gel. While it takes only one to two minutes, it is an intimate examination that can be embarrassing and uncomfortable, and it is commonly declined.
The Galeas test, however, is better for patients because they can take it at home and post back their sample. It also frees up hospital resources. Douglas-Moore described the non-invasive test as a significant breakthrough in diagnosing a cancer that affects over 10,000 people a year.
Early data from the Leicester trust shows that the Galeas test may be 50% faster at diagnosing bladder cancer than cystoscopy. Patients have received their results in 16 days after referral, exceeding the NHS's 28-day faster diagnosis standard for cancer.
Development and Future Prospects
The new test was developed by Professor Richard Bryan, a urologist turned academic who runs the University of Birmingham's bladder cancer research centre, and his colleague Dr. Doug Ward. Tony Hickson, chief business officer at Cancer Research UK, said the organization co-funded initial studies because of the test's potential to dramatically improve bladder cancer detection, making the process kinder and quicker for patients.
Hickson added that ongoing studies suggest the test could replace some unpleasant and invasive procedures and catch cases earlier, as it can be done during a patient's first visit to their GP rather than requiring a separate hospital appointment. Professor Frankie Swords, NHS England's national medical director, praised the adoption of innovations like this, stating that the NHS has a long history of adopting new technologies to improve patient care and diagnose cancer earlier.
